Some quick recommendations for a visit to Portland, Maine, a favorite spot:
Portland Pie Company have gluten-free pizzas
There’s a section of the Berlin Wall in Old Port – near DiMillo’s On The Water, a renovated ferryboat that’s a restaurant on the water.
The Portland Museum of Art has an impressive collection… Winslow Homer! Monet! Etc.
A Mariners ice hockey game would be worth watching, if they’re at home: https://www.marinersofmaine.com/list-schedule
The question recently came up: what to do in the Capital Region in the winter (preferably without spending a small fortune)? WELL. There’s lots to do – if you’re willing to look around. Some ideas…
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rolls through every year, too – details are on the Holiday Train site .
Slightly further afield, there’s lots to see at the Lake George Winter Carnival in February into March – https://lakegeorgewintercarnival.com/
The Albany area is also a hub for the New York State Canal System, with both the Erie and Champlain canals meeting the Hudson River near Albany. The New York State Canal Corporation offers free events in canal communities year-round, with several events coming up over the winter. Info: https://onthecanals.com/
Many people may not be aware of it, but just north of Albany is the second largest waterfall in New York State (and one of the top three east of the Rocky Mountains): Cohoes Falls. Shared by the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, NY, the falls are approximately 1,000 feet across and up to 90 feet high; there is excellent viewing access from Falls View Park in Cohoes, which has interpretive signage explaining the history of the falls and its use for powering the nearby mills in the late 19th century. Parking is available across the street, and the four acre park itself is accessible and includes ADA-compliant picnic areas and fishing platforms on the upper level near the pedestrian bridge. If you look around across the street from the park, you’ll also see now-overgrown sections of the original Erie Canal – the interpretive signage includes a map of where the Erie Canal originally ran through Cohoes, and the Spindle City Historical Society has an excellent self-guided tour of canal history in Cohoes on their website.
Moving onward from the Cohoes Falls, the point where the Erie Barge Canal meets the Hudson River is a short drive away in Waterford, NY. I recommend following the Mohawk River east and crossing to Van Schaick Island on Ontario Street, where you’ll make a left onto Railroad Drive. After passing the apartment complexes, as you approach Peebles Island you’ll see the historic Matton Shipyard on the right hand side (It’s worth stopping for a look, though there is currently no public access). Canal boats, barges, tug boats, and even submarine chasers were built here from 1916 until it closed in 1983. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has plans for its preservation and revitalization– watch this space!
Approaching Peebles Island from this side gives you an easy opportunity to stop off in the park if you have time; Peebles Island State Park has excellent walking trails, a very informative visitor center of its own, public restrooms, picnic areas, and kayak access as well as some pretty good fishing along the Mohawk River (watch out for the eels and catfish!). Driving across the bridge from Peebles to Waterford provides a great view of the Waterford harbor visitor center and Erie Barge Canal Lock 2, where the canal splits off from the Mohawk River and climbs the ascent parallel to the Cohoes Falls by way of the Waterford Flight of Locks. The visitor center is a good stop, too: Erie Canal and Waterford-related merchandise available for tourists and locals alike, with very helpful staff, lots of local information and a farmer’s market on the weekends.
If you’ve gotten your fill of the harbor and maybe wandered over to Lock 2 for a look at any boats passing through, the next point of interest is a favorite story of mine: the Day Peckinpaugh, which can most often be found tied up near Erie Barge Canal Lock 3 in Waterford. Built in 1921 specifically for use on the Barge Canal1 and the Great Lakes, she was the first specifically designed for such use and now the last survivor of a fleet of over 100 of her type that carried freight from the upper Midwest across New York State to the port of New York City. Rescued from the scrap yard in 2006 by a partnership of museums and canal preservation societies, she is now the largest artifact in the collection of the New York State Museum. Parking is available just off 9th Street (on the access road to Lock 3) if you want to stop for a better look at the Day Peckinpaugh across the canal.
Last but certainly not least, we head on up the Waterford Flight of Locks by taking 9th back across the bridge and making a quick left on 8th street, another left on Washington Ave to a left on Flightlock Road. Take this one slowly, because there are frequently pedestrians, cyclists, and oncoming vehicles that may not be thinking about other traffic. There are 3 locks in quick succession along Flightlock Road, and if you’re lucky to catch a boat going through and quick enough to keep up with it, you can watch all three locks in operation (frequently the Canal Corporation staff operating the locks are happy to chat with visitors, too!). The Waterford Flight as a whole refers to Erie Barge Canal locks E-2 through E-6, which raises boats a total of 169 feet over the span of a mile and a half; it remains the flight with the highest elevation gain for its length of any canal lock system in the world. It’s also a pretty fine view from the bridge across the lock on a nice day.
Recently I’ve noticed that there seem to be more visitors around the Empire State Plaza these days (presumably since travel abroad isn’t feasible for many at the moment), and I always want to stop and give them suggestions on where to go (but I’d rather they not think I’m nuts); I also had the opportunity recently to share with a co-worker some ideas on things for visitors to do in the area, so I thought it might be worthwhile posting some ideas here as well for anyone who might find it (hello, potential visitor to Albany! It may not look like much, but there are some fun things to do on a trip to downtown that you might not have noticed).
A visit to the Observation Deck in the Corning Tower building at the Empire State Plaza
The Corning Tower state office building is the tallest skyscraper in New York State outside of New York City, and features an observation deck that gives excellent views (with informational signage) of the surrounding region. The elevator to the observation deck on the 42nd floor of the Tower reaches speeds of 16mph, and is accessible from either the plaza or concourse levels (from the concourse, you’ll have to take the escalator to the plaza level to get the elevator). The observation deck is open to the public for free Mondays through Fridays from 10am to 4pm.
A walk around the State Museum
Growing up in the Albany area I just assumed that all states had a state museum in their capital; it turns out that that assumption may not be true! The New York State Museum is run by the state Education Department and features ongoing exhibitions about the history, natural features, and development of the state of New York. It also has a variety of temporary exhibitions that change regularly; and if you venture up to the 4th floor (when it’s open) there’s a carousel for children of all ages to ride.
The New York State Executive Mansion on Eagle Street was built in 1856 as a banker’s private home; it was purchased by the state two years after Governor Samuel Tilden began living in it in 1875. Tours of the Governor’s mansion are available for free to members of the public by making reservations two weeks in advance – check the website or call for additional information.
Take a look around the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built 1848-52 (and on the National Register of Historic Places), the mother church of the Albany Catholic diocese and a remarkable part of the Albany skyline, with its Gothic towers (tours available by making arrangements in advance).
The New York State Office of General Services also offers 45-minute tours of the Empire State Plaza for free on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 2pm; reservations are (currently!) required. Highlights include “The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, the Plaza’s main platform, Capitol, Robert Abrams Building for Law and Justice, Cultural Education Center, Corning Tower, Legislative Office Building, and agency buildings, as well as the memorials that honor those who have dedicated or given their lives in service to others”, as well as the Empire State Plaza Art Collection.
The New York State Capitol is also open for public tours; guided tours are available at 10am and 12pm on weekdays, or you can choose to wander around on a self-guided tour. The Capitol was built of solid masonry over 32 years, completed in 1899; it was the most expensive government building of its time, and houses the New York State legislature.
It’s worth stopping to have a look at the Art Deco interior of the lobby at the Alfred E Smith state office building at the corner of South Swan Street and Washington Avenue (the Fort Frederick apartments were moved down the road to make way for this building in the 1920s) en route to or from the Albany Institute of History and Art, which has an excellent collection including many works by the Hudson River School painters of the mid-19th centure.
The Empire State Plaza gift shop has an excellent variety of souvenirs produced from across New York State, and can be visited from the concourse level of the plaza (accessible by steps down from the plaza, from Madison Avenue, or by underground walkway from the Capitol building).
Looking for something to eat, there are plenty of excellent options- Logan’s deli on the concourse has good options for everyone, as does A Better Bite on the corner of Washington and South Swan. And while the Hamilton Cafe is a little further off the beaten path on Hamilton Street off Swan, their daily specials are locally popular. If you’re looking for a great breakfast option, the Iron Gate cafe will fit the bill and fill your stomach.
Parking and public transportation: Parking for a $10 daily fee is available in the visitor lot under the Plaza, which is accessible from the 787 Plaza exit ramp or from S. Pearl St. and turning on to Market Street to merge onto the ramp/South Mall Arterial from 787; payment is accepted by credit card only. Alternatively, a small visitor lot is available on Madison Avenue on the north side of the Cultural Education Building (state museum). On-street meter parking is also available on many side streets or on State Street or Washington Ave; payment may be made at the meter or via an app. The Plaza and surrounding area are also easily accessible from many points in the Capital Region by CDTA bus; check their routes and schedules at cdta.org.
We ran into a family in Maine last weekend who did a similar day trip from the Albany area to get to see the ocean and have a lobster roll for a family birthday. It works!
After a childhood filled with summer vacations on the Atlantic in Maine, for over fifteen years of my life, I lived within about half an hour of either the Atlantic Ocean or the Irish Sea. 
Twice, I had the good fortune to live a couple of blocks from a beach – in Narragansett, Rhode Island, in the late ’90s, and in 2001 in Killiney, Co. Dublin (Ireland). In 2012, I lived two miles from Wollaston Beach, in Quincy, MA. For the past six years or so, I’ve lived in upstate New York – just outside of Albany. And as much as I love the canals and the many lakes and ponds – there is simply no replacement for the ocean, and the smell of the salty ocean/sea breeze.
Last year we got really spoiled: almost every other weekend we were away camping, more…
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It’s time to celebrate the New York State tree – the sugar maple. The sugar maple was adopted as the state tree for the Empire State in 1956. This weekend (and last, though many of us were too busy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to notice) is the 23rd annual Maple Weekend – when maple farms across New York State invite the public to come tour their maple farms and see firsthand the process of producing maple syrup and related products. The Maple Producers Association also has a comprehensive list of pancake breakfasts available this weekend to try your New York maple syrup, as well as an interactive list of participating maple farms to visit. Check their website for more details.
If you happen to be in “Downeast” Maine for a few days’ R&R, York has plenty of attractions to make for a good visit. Home of Cape Neddick Lighthouse, better known as “Nubble Light”, York has beautiful coastlines and attractive beaches. There’s even an arcade right at the beach. At The Goldenrod you can watch the saltwater taffy being made fresh right before your eyes – and their lunches (and frappes!) are delicious.
For the fiber enthusiasts, York has a very attractive and welcoming yarn shop (the Yarn Sellar) which happens to be on the Maine Yarn Cruise (a summer yarn crawl around the state) and stocks Maine yarns.
And last but certainly not least – the York Wild Kingdom offers fun for all ages, whether that be on the amusement park rides or visiting the wide variety of animals at the zoo and butterflies in their Butterfly Kingdom.
Happy vacation planning!
The largest monument to a writer in the world, the Scott Monument commemorates Sir Walter Scott, an Edinburgh-born writer famous for his historical novels.
Funded by public subscription and erected in 1907, the Fusiliers’ Arch was dedicated to the officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted men of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who fought and died in the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
Often when one thinks of new year’s resolutions, a common resolution that comes to mind is to exercise more, get fit, or lose weight. In the spirit of starting as you mean to go on- why not get outdoors on New Year’s Day?
Most states offer First Day Hikes in state parks- the perfect way to get out for a stroll and enjoy your local park. A number of them include seasonal refreshments (hot cocoa, warm apple cider or snacks). If you’re in Massachusetts, the flyer from the Department of Conservation and Recreation is here; New Yorkers, check out the info on the New York State Parks website here.
And if you’re in the Boston area and prefer to add time on the water to your hike this year, the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands are having their annual Seafarers’ Cruise on Sunday – this year the trip is going to Thompson Island (don’t worry, the boat is heated).
